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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. staff — employees
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. field — a subject
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com